Murder in Canton: A Judge Dee Mystery Read online

  ‘She was killed through a misunderstanding,’ Judge Dee answered, then added quickly, ‘I am most grateful for the help you gave us, Miss Liang!’

  She raised her thin hands in a futile gesture.

  ‘I hoped you would find the Censor's murderer, sir, before my brother became too deeply involved.’

  ‘How did you manage to conceal yourself so effectively?’ the judge asked, curious.

  ‘By keeping to those places I knew well,’ she replied with a faint smile. ‘This old house I know, of course, like the palm of my hand! All the hidden rooms, as well as many secret passages and emergency exits my brother did not know of. And I am also thoroughly familiar with the Examination Hall, which was my favourite hideout. When Mr Tao and his friend had seen me, I slipped out by the back entrance and hid in the godown where the palankeens are stored. Later I heard a woman scream. What happened there, sir?’

  ‘My two lieutenants ran into a vagabond who was molesting a woman,’ Judge Dee replied. ‘Well, your brother had Zumurrud's body brought here to the house, Miss Liang. I shall have it removed to the tribunal at once. Is there anything I can do for you? Now you'll have to take charge of this house and all your brother's affairs, you know.’

  ‘I shall call on an old uncle of my mother. He shall see to my brother's burial, and…’ She shook her head disconsolately. After a while she went on in a barely audible voice, ‘It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left him, left him alone with all the terrible thoughts that were tormenting him. And he was only a boy then! Used to play every day in a corner of the garden with his toy soldiers, imagining the great battles he would fight, later…But then he learned he was unfit for a military career. And after I had left him, he realized that he was incapable of possessing a woman. The second blow broke him; he wanted to kill himself. But he met Zumurrud, and she…she proved to be the first and only woman he could embrace. He lived only for her; but she didn't care for him, told him so in cruel, humiliating words…. It's all my fault—I should have refused him more gently, I should have tried to interest him in another woman, a kind woman, who would…But I was too young, I didn't understand. I didn't understand….’

  She buried her face in her hands. Judge Dee gave a sign to Tao Gan. They went downstairs.

  Chiao Tai was waiting in the large hall, with four agents and a dozen constables. Judge Dee told them that robbers had concealed themselves in the house, and that Mr Liang had died from a heart attack when he had suddenly come upon one of them. They were to make a thorough search under the direction of Chiao Tai and arrest any persons found there. Thereupon he took the eldest agent apart, and told him that Mansur had gone aboard one of the Arab ships anchored in the estuary of the Pearl River. The agent was to go at once to the harbour-master, and have him send four fast military junks to overtake and arrest Mansur. As the agent hurried away, Judge Dee ordered the old steward to take him and Tao Gan to Mr Liang's bedroom.

  Tao Gan discovered a secret wall safe behind the bedstead. He picked the lock, but the safe proved to contain only contracts and other important papers relating to the routine of Liang's business. The judge had not expected to find any incriminating documents, for Liang was much too clever to keep any. He trusted he would find all the written proof he wanted in the capital, when the residence of the Chief Eunuch was raided by his men. He ordered Tao Gan to take the necessary measures for removing Zumumid's body secretly to the tribunal, then he ascended his palankeen and was carried back to the palace.

  He had an adjutant take him straight to the Governor's private study on the second floor of the main building.

  It was a small but elegantly furnished room. The arched windows looked out over the palace garden and the lotus lake. A teaset of eggshell porcelain and a jade bowl filled with white roses stood on the tea-table to the left, the right wall being taken up entirely by a heavy ebony bookcase. The Governor was sitting behind a high desk that stood in the rear. He was giving instructions to an old clerk standing by the side of his chair.

  When the Governor saw Judge Dee, he hurriedly rose and came round from behind his desk to greet him. He invited the judge to be seated in the comfortable armchair next to the tea-table, and himself took the chair opposite. After the old clerk had served tea, the Governor dismissed him. Leaning forward with his hands on his knees, he asked tensely:

  ‘What's afoot, Excellency? I saw the proclamation you issued. Who is that high official?’

  Judge Dee eagerly emptied his teacup. He suddenly noticed how tired he was. He put his cup down, loosened the collar of his robe and then said placidly:

  ‘It was a most unfortunate tragedy. The Censor Lew was murdered here, you know. The dead body I found in the Temple of the Flowery Pagoda was his, in fact. I shall now give you the official version of what happened. The Censor came to Canton because of a love affair with a local girl. She had a lover already, and that scoundrel poisoned him. My proclamation was a ruse. It made a friend of the murderer come forward and denounce him. He has been arrested, and even now is being conveyed to the capital, for a secret trial. You will understand that even this official version, concise as it is, must not be divulged. The central government does not like the indiscretions of high officials to be bruited about.’

  ‘I see,’ the Governor said slowly.

  ‘I fully realize how awkward your position is,’ Judge Dee said gently. ‘I remember vividly the occasions when a ranking official from the capital visited my territory, when I was still a district magistrate. But such things can't be helped; they are inherent in our administrative system.’ The Governor gave the judge a grateful glance. Then he asked: ‘Would it be possible to tell me why the residence of Mr Liang has been surrounded by military guards?’

  ‘I received information that Tanka robbers had entered his house. I went there to warn him, but found that he had met one, and had died from a heart attack. My lieutenants are now rounding up the robbers. This affair too must be treated with the utmost discretion. For Mr Liang was a distinguished citizen, and if it became known among the people of Canton that it was Tanka who had caused his death, there might be communal trouble. You shall leave this matter entirely in the hands of my two lieutenants.’ He took a sip from his tea. ‘As to the Arab question, I have taken measures for the arrest of Mansur, the ringleader. After he has been put behind lock and key, the emergency measures for the maintenance of the public peace can be cancelled. I shall lay before the Grand Council the proposal I outlined to you yesterday relating to the segregation of barbarians. So there need be no fear of future trouble from them.’

  ‘I see,’ the Governor said again. After a while he resumed, rather diffidently, ‘I hope that all the ah…irregularities that occurred here will not be ascribed to an inefficient administration, sir. If the authorities in the capital received the impression that I had been er…remiss in my duties, I…’ He darted a worried glance at his guest.

  But Judge Dee did not take the hint. Instead he said quietly:

  ‘In the course of my investigation there have come to light a few facts not germane to the main issue, yet not without importance. In the first place the circumstances of the death of Mrs Pao. The Prefect is looking into those, and I prefer that you leave it to him to wind up that tragic case. Second, I learned about another tragedy that occurred here, many years ago. Regarding a Persian lady who committed suicide.’ He cast a quick glance at his host. The Governor's face had suddenly paled. The judge went on, ‘When we met in the garden pavilion yesterday morning, you were most eager to take the investigation of the Persian community out of my hands. Since apparently you have made a special study of their affairs, you can supply me with more details about this tragedy, I suppose.’

  The Governor averted his face. He stared out through the window at the green palace roofs. Judge Dee took a large white rose from the bowl, and inhaled its delicate fragrance. The Governor began in a strained voice:

  ‘It happened many years ago, when I had been sent out to serve as a jun
ior assistant in the tribunal here. My first post, as a matter of fact. I was young and impressionable, and the exotic features of the foreign communities captured my fancy. I frequented the house of a Persian merchant, and met his daughter. We fell in love with each other. She was a refined, beautiful girl. I failed to notice that she was highly-strung, of an extremely nervous disposition.’ He turned round and looking the judge full in the face, went on, ‘I loved her so much I decided to give up my career and marry her. One day she let me know that she could not see me any more. Like the foolish youngster I was, I suspected nothing, I thought she wanted to end our relationship. In despair I began to frequent a Chinese courtesan. Then, after some months, she sent a message. It said that I was to meet her that day at dusk, in the Temple of the Flowery Pagoda. I found her sitting in the tea-pavilion, all alone.’ He lowered his eyes and fixed them on his tightly clasped hands. ‘She was wearing a long saffron robe; a thin silk shawl was draped round her small head. I wanted to speak, but she cut me short and told me to take her up the pagoda. In silence we climbed the steep stairs, higher and higher, till we were on the narrow platform of the highest storey, the ninth. She went to stand by the balustrade. The rays of the setting sun threw a reddish glow over the sea of roofs, far below. Without looking at me, she told me in a strange, impersonal voice that she had twin girls by me. Since I had deserted her, she had drowned them. While I stood there petrified, she suddenly stepped over the balustrade. I…I…’

  He had been controlling his voice with a great effort, but now he broke down completely and buried his face in his hands. Judge Dee caught a little of what he was muttering: ‘I meant well, heaven is my witness! And she…It was just that…that we were too young. Too young….’

  The judge waited for the Governor to regain his self-control. He slowly turned the rose round in his hand, watching the white petals as they dropped on to the shining black table top, one by one. When the Governor at last raised his head, the judge put the flower back into the bowl and said:

  ‘She must have loved you very dearly, else she would not have become possessed by such a fierce desire to hurt you. And so she killed herself, and told you the lie about killing your two daughters.’ As the Governor was about to jump up, Judge Dee raised his hand. ‘Yes, that was a lie. She gave the twins to a Chinese friend. When he went bankrupt, a Chinese with Persian blood, who had known her mother, took them and looked after them well. They have grown up into charming young girls, I am told.’

  ‘Where are they? Who is the man?’ the Governor burst out.

  ‘His name is Nee, the sea captain I mentioned to you once. He is a mystic, a somewhat peculiar man, but a man of principles, I must admit. Although he had been told that you had basely deceived the young Persian lady, he preferred to remain silent, because he thought that no one would be served by stirring up this old affair, least of all the two girls. You might go to see him some day; incognito, perhaps. The captain has technically become your son-in-law by now, if my information is correct.’ The judge rose. Straightening his robe, he added, ‘I shall forget everything you have told me here and now.’

  While the Governor, too deeply moved to speak, was conducting him to the door, Judge Dee remarked:

  ‘Before I broached the subject of the Persian lady, you gave me to understand that you are worrying about your reputation in the capital. Now I want to tell you that I shall deem it my duty to report to the Grand Council that I found you an excellent administrator of exemplary zeal.’ Cutting short the Governor's confused protestations of gratitude, he concluded, ‘I have been ordered to return to the capital without delay, and I shall leave Canton this afternoon. Kindly see to it that a mounted convoy is put in readiness for me. Many thanks for your hospitality! Goodbye!’

  XXIV

  Judge Dee ate a late noon meal in his private dining-room, together with Chiao Tai and Tao Gan. His two lieutenants had arrested in the Liang mansion two Tanka and three Chinese hooligans, and also an Arab assassin. The six men had been put in the tribunal jail.

  During the meal Judge Dee gave his two assistants a full account of all that had happened. He only omitted his last conversation with the Governor. After he had also outlined his official version of the Censor's case, he pursued:

  ‘Thus the task the Censor set himself, which cost him his life, has now been accomplished. The Chief Eunuch will get his deserts, and his political party will collapse. The Crown Prince will not be ousted from his rightful position, and the clique of the Empress will retreat into the background—for the time being.’ The judge fell silent. He was thinking of the Empress, handsome, energetic, extremely capable, but completely ruthless, swayed by strange passions and devoured by ambition for herself and her kin. In this first, indirect clash he had got the better of her. But suddenly he had a dark premonition of other, more direct clashes to come, and of bloodshed, much wanton bloodshed. He felt the chilling presence of the Spirit of Death.

  Chiao Tai worriedly looked at Judge Dee's drawn face. There were heavy black pouches under his eyes, deep lines marked his hollow cheeks. With an effort the judge collected himself. He said slowly:

  The Censor's murder may be my last criminal case. From now on I shall probably devote myself entirely and exclusively to political problems. If some of these, like the Censor's case, should have criminal aspects, I shall order others to deal with them. Liang Foo's remarks about my methods of criminal detection were very much to the point. They made me realize that the time is coming for me to close my career as a criminal investigator. My methods have become too widely known, and clever criminals can use this knowledge to their advantage. My methods are part of my personality, and I am too old now to change that. Younger and more competent men will continue where I left off. A special convoy will take me back to the capital later this afternoon, when the worst heat is over. You two will follow as soon as you have wound up the Censor's case. You will keep strictly to the official version, and see to it that nothing transpires of what really happened here in Canton. You need not worry about Mansur; he has fled to an Arab ship, but fast military junks have been sent to the estuary to overtake him. He will be executed in secret, for he knows affairs of state that must on no account reach the ears of the Khalif.’ He rose and added, ‘We all need an hour or so of good rest! You two need not return to your dismal lodgings downtown. Take your siesta in my dressing-room; there are two spare couches there. After the siesta you may see me off, then set to work. I trust you'll be able to leave Canton tomorrow.’

  As the three men were walking to the door, Tao Gan said bleakly:

  ‘We've been here only two days, but I have seen all I want of Canton!’

  ‘Me too!’ Chiao Tai said curtly. Then he added in a matter-of-fact voice, ‘I am looking forward to resuming my work in the capital, sir.’

  Judge Dee cast a quick glance at his lieutenant's pale, haggard face. He reflected sadly that one lives and learns—at a price. He gave his lieutenants a warm smile and said:

  ‘I am glad to hear that, Chiao Tai.’

  They ascended the broad staircase that led to Judge Dee's living quarters on the second floor. When Chiao Tai had surveyed the two luxurious, curtained bedsteads in the anteroom, he said with a wry grin to Tao Gan:

  ‘You take the one you like, or both!’ And to the judge: ‘I prefer to have my nap on that reed mat in front of the door of your bedroom, sir! Especially in this heat!’

  The judge nodded. He pulled the door-curtain aside and entered his bedroom. It was hot and sultry there. He walked to the broad, arched window to pull up the bamboo roll curtain. But he quickly let it drop again, for the glare of the midday sun, reflected by the glazed rooftiles of the adjoining palace buildings, shone right into his eyes.

  He went to the rear of the room and laid his cap on the small table beside his couch. His dagger was lying there behind the teapot. While he felt if the pot was still warm, his eye fell on his sword Rain Dragon hanging on the wall. The sight of his cherished sword reminded h
im suddenly of the one of the Subduer of the South Seas, in the painting in Liang's ancestral hall. Yes, the Admiral had had Tanka blood. But in him its primitive savagery had been checked by a noble mind, its elemental passions had been sublimated into a nearly superhuman courage. Stifling a sigh, he took off his heavy brocade robe. Clad only in his white silk under-robe, he stretched himself out on the couch.

  Staring up at the high ceiling, he thought of his lieutenants. He was partially responsible for Chiao Tai's tragic experience, really. He should have seen to it long before that Chiao Tai settled down to family life—that was one of the duties one had towards one's retainers. Ma Joong had married those two nice daughters of the puppeteer. He ought to have arranged a suitable marriage for Chiao Tai too. He would do something about that when he was back in the capital. It wouldn't be easy, though. Chiao Tai belonged to a distinguished family of warriors that had settled down in the north-west centuries ago. They were hardy men of a simple, staunch character, who lived for fighting, hunting and hard drinking, and who liked women of the same strong and independent type. In this respect Tao Gan presented no problem, fortunately, for he was an inveterate women-hater.